The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Packet-processing devices, such as Ethernet routers and switches, play an important role in computer networking systems. Generally, every packet-processing device is thoroughly tested before being sold and deployed. The testing of packet-processing devices can involve lengthy testing programs using sometimes elaborate and expensive test equipment, which in turn can add significantly to the final cost of production.